Iowa man sentenced for vehicle hit of South Dakota officer

Iowa man sentenced for vehicle hit of South Dakota officer

Aug. 09, 2017

TYNDALL, S.D. (AP) — An Iowa man accused of assaulting a South Dakota police officer with his vehicle has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Travis McPeek, of Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced Monday in First Circuit Court after a Bon Homme County grand jury found him guilty last month of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer.

McPeek, 37, was accused of striking Tyndall officer Kelly Young with his vehicle during a traffic stop in August 2016, dragging him across a parking lot and driving away. Court records show Young had stopped McPeek's car at a local convenience store after identifying it as the same one from several reports he received about a reckless driver.

Despite being injured, Young pursued McPeek for about 10 miles before losing him and driving to a hospital, the Daily Republic reported .

"I think a lot of it was adrenaline," Young said. "I really just wanted to find him."

McPeek was arrested in Arizona about four months later.

Defense attorneys argued that McPeek wasn't aware that Young was a law enforcement officer.

Young was out of work for a month after suffering an injured foot, broken ribs, cuts and bruises. He said he still struggles with physical and emotional injuries.

"I'm just glad it's over, but I'll remember that day forever," Young said. "It's one of those things that shape how you work moving forward, but you kind of take those lessons and try to go back to normal, just with a little more experience."

McPeek will receive credit for time served since December as part of a plea agreement from Monday. He also was ordered to pay more than $14,000 in court costs, court-appointed attorney fees and restitution.